Finding an artist that can fit any and all my different moods was very difficult, but The Weeknd has been able to not only do that but also became a staple in my life. Although I did not necessarily dive into his music until about sophomore year, I think I was exposed to it at a perfect time. I was able to have a good cry to “Save Your Tears,” but also jamming out to songs such as “Acquainted” with my friends as we drove around freshly after getting our licenses.
On Jan. 31, The Weeknd dropped his new album “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” which is his final album under the stagename “The Weeknd”. This album completed the trilogy The Weeknd made which consisted of “ After Hours” and “Dawn FM.” In the future, The Weeknd will be changing his stage name to his birth name Abel, and this album is supposed to be capturing the idea of rebirth and redemption.
The album contains 22 songs and each and every one of them to me was fantastic. Opening the album with “Wake Me Up” set the mood for how the rest of this album would be: emotional yet hype. “Cry for Me,” my personal favorite, captures the true raw emotions The Weeknd is feeling. This song talks about heartbreak, but also the negative aspects of fame, which I feel as though he has never really captured before in his other songs which allowed for this one to touch the hearts of many fans. Along with that, this song also really emphasizes the loneliness that comes with being famous which also adds to the raw emotions portrayed throughout the song. Another song in this album which portrayed his idea of redemption while also adding vulnerability to himself was “Baptized in Fear.” Personally, I enjoyed this song very much and I thought that it’s slow tempo and beat made it something that was perfect to listen to while studying.
Although there was much emotion in this album, there also were quite a few songs that would be perfect to bring the mood up and dance to. One of those songs for me was “São Paulo.” This song has some parts in Spanish that are extremely fast and upbeat and this is a song I blast in the car to hype myself up for something, and it never fails to do just that. Another song, which is probably the most famous song of the album due to its early release is “Timeless.” This is a song that is extremely easy to sing along to and it has a very calming beat, but still somehow manages to uplift my mood. The lyrics in the song I think can just make the person listening feel as though they need to start savoring moments in their life because it talks about him being “timeless.”
All in all, I have found some of my new favorite songs through this album and I am very pleased that this was the album to end the legacy of “The Weeknd.”
